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Winning what you want may cost you everything you love
As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin's eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him - with unexpected consequences. It's not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.
"A high-stakes cliffhanger will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next book." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Rich characterization, exquisite worldbuilding and rock-solid storytelling make this a fantasy of unusual intelligence and depth... Breathtaking, tragic and true." - Kirkus, starred review
"In this well-paced novel, there is violence, action-packed battle scenes, and descriptions of gruesome deaths. There is also hope that love will be the real winner and faith that it can be greater than the curse of war." - School Library Journal
"This book gave me a rare and special reading experience: I never knew what was going to happen next. I loved it. I want more." - Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling
"Marie Rutkoski writes with tremendous power and has created an epic of fearless beauty. This book should not be missed." - Ann Aguirre, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of the Razorland trilogy
"The Winner's Curse is magnificent. Gorgeous writing graces every page, and the story of Kestrel and Arin unfolds with all the complexity and beauty of a sonata. I was completely transfixed by them and their world." -Sarah Beth Durst, author of Conjured
This information about The Winner's Curse was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Tobias Everke
Marie Rutkoski is New York Times bestselling author of books for children and young adults, including The Shadow Society and the Kronos Chronicles, which includes The Cabinet of Wonders. She published her first novel for adults, Real Easy, in 2022. Rutkoski is a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
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